Lee Webb '59

Soon after graduating from Boston University in 1959 Lee joined the civil rights movement. In 1963 he was elected National Secretary of Students for a Democratic Society and became a leader in the student, civil rights, and peace movement. Later he was a journalist writing for Ramparts Magazine. In 1976 Lee founded in Washington the Center for Policy Alternatives, the first national center focused on developing innovative ideas for state and local governments.

In 1984 Lee moved to New York to work for Governor Mario Cuomo. He served first as Vice President and later Executive Vice President of the NY Urban Development Corporation. In 1996 Lee became Vice President of Partners Health Care in Boston managing their real estate, facilities engineering, capital construction, and capital budget planning. In 1998 he returned to New York to be Vice President at the New School University with similar responsibilities.

Lee has a B.A. from Boston University, an M. A. from Goddard College, and a Ph. D. in public administration and public policy from the Union Institute. He also attended specialized management programs at the Kennedy School at Harvard University.

One of Lee’s major volunteer commitments has been Phillips Academy. He was a member of the Alumni Council from 2012 to 2014 and from 1989 to 1991. He was a member of the Organizing Committee for his 50th Reunion (2009). He is also the Co-Class Agent.

In 2004 Lee moved to Union, Maine and now serves on a number of boards. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center at the University of Maine in Orono. Lee received a Ph.D. in American History from the University of Vermont in May 2017.